A View From Down Below
by AshieMac1985
Summary: Thor is enjoying a lazy day in Asgard, fishing and napping in the sun when something more than a fish gets caught on his hook. Is he dreaming or is that a mermaid? He wasn't sure what to think, other than she was beautiful and needed his help. Rated T (at least) for later content. Please let me know what you think (if you want too, that is). Any and all input is welcome.
1. Chapter 1 The First Meeting

It was a beautiful summer's day when Thor headed down to a secluded cove to fish and relax. He had a well deserved day off and Hel and her demons take him if he wasn't going to enjoy it.

The azure waters were cool and calm, tossed gently onto the shore by a playful breeze. The sun was out in full force, sparking on the water and warming the sand on which Thor was sitting as he minded the fishing pole he'd set up as soon he'd arrived.

When he and Loki were children, Odin would bring them and Frigga down to the beach for picnics. He and his little brother would spend the whole day climbing the rocks, searching for treasure and mermaids.

Of course, now that they were grown, they knew mermaids were just a child's fairy story, but Thor still kept an eye out for them out of habit- not that he'd ever tell anyone that.

The sound of the waves lapping at the sandy shore were starting to lull him to sleep. He was dozing on the warm sand when he heard a tinkling sound. The bell attached to his line that would sound when he had a fish!

Thor sat up quickly ready to haul in his line, but suddenly froze- there in the water, poking at the bell as if it was a foreign object, was a woman- a beautifully strange woman.

She had long flowing auburn hair that swirled about her in the water, eyes the colour of the sea and- were those tattoos? That was all he could see of her, because as soon as she saw he'd noticed her, the woman gasped and tried to swim away, only to get snagged on his hook. She struggled, tangling herself further, as she panicked.

Thor held up his hands in front of him, "I'm not going to hurt you...let me free you." He stripped off his shirt and boots and headed into the water, swimming out to her and ducking under to disengage the hook from her...fin?

He almost breathed in a lung full of water in his surprise, the woman was a mermaid. Perhaps he was still on shore asleep and dreaming, he mused as he started to untangle her. But when his hand brushed her shimmering scales- he knew she was real.

Gently the freed her from the hook and surfaced. He studied her face, she was even more beautiful close up. Her sea coloured eyes had flecks of gold in them that matched her hair. Her lips were full and plump- the colour of a pale pink apple blossom. It took a moment before he remembered to speak. 

"There, no harm done." he smiled, watching as she appeared torn between thanking him and fleeing.

In the end, thanking him won her over, she offered him a small smile. "Thank you for saving me."

"What is your name?" Thor asked softly, not wanting to scare her. She was mesmerizing, if Thor wasn't careful he'd forget to tread water and drown before he was able to turn away from her.

"Ianthe..." she whispered, as if uttering her own name would get her in trouble. Which it could, her sisters were less curious and more cruel than she was- it would be very bad for her rescuer if they showed up.

"That is a beautiful name, Inathe. I am Thor." He left off the 'Prince of Asgard' part, it didn't feel right to boast about that right now.

"Thank you for saving me, Thor. Really, but I must go, my sisters will be missing me."

"Sisters? There are more of you? I thought you were a myth!" he exclaimed and then looked at her sheepishly. "No offense..."

"None taken." Her laugh was soft and not unlike the tinkling bell on his fishing lure. Impulsively she leaned in and kissed his cheek before vanishing beneath the waves- faster than Thor knew what was happening.

He stayed there, treading water like an idiot for a few minutes before he regained his senses and swam back to shore.

Thor stopped fishing then, wondering if it would anger her if he caught a fish. He was erring on the side of caution, for once, how was he supposed to know if a creature he'd thought was made up until ten minutes before then was for or against fishing?

He got dressed and headed back to the palace, saying nothing about her to his father and friends when they asked how the fishing was. Something told him the discovery of mermaids would be met with either: disbelief, bloodthirsty hunting or the 'need' of the nobles to own one as a pet. Or possibly all three.

Once in his room he changed into clean clothes and sat on his balcony, staring at the distant sea as it glimmered in the dying sunset, wondering if she was thinking of him, as he was her.


	2. Chapter 2 Ianthe

Ianthe had returned to the home she shared deep under the waves with her two sisters, Dinah and Merlia. As pretty as their names were, as they undoubtedly were themselves, their temperaments did not match. Ianthe was too young to remember their parents and the thriving community of merpeople that once existed in their isolated cove. When Ianthe was a baby, centuries ago, Odin's fore bearers discovered their existence and attacked over a misunderstanding that could have easily been resolved. Once the battle was over, the Asgardians thought all the merpeople were dead and so did not conduct as thorough search as they normally would. The three young mermaids were taken in by their mother's sister. She'd lost her husband and hoped the girls would distract her from her grief. They didn't, and she grew bitter- dragging the oldest two down with her into a spiral of hatred for all Asgardians and especially anyone in the royal line. Ianthe was naturally cheerful and spent most of her days away from what was left of her family, exploring reefs and shoals, and so escaped having her young mind poisoned by their hatred. The rest of the remaining merpeople moved away after the battle, leaving to pick up the pieces and start over. The loneliness and isolation further added to the aunt and older sisters displeasure. When their aunt died of old age, the sisters were left alone. The older Ianthe got, the more she longed for new company, anyone but her sisters. Still more years passed and Ianthe had no one but her sisters.  
She would venture to the cove and sun herself on the sand as there was no Asgardian close enough to see her and no one to yell at her- Dinah and Merlia had long ago stopped caring what she did once they realized she wasn't like them. Ianthe was still thinking about Thor, wondering what it'd have been like if she'd dared stay longer. Would they still be talking? Perhaps they'd be friends? Even though she knew he was Asgardian, he hardly seemed the type to wage war on an inferior race. Maybe she could see him again if he came back. Listen for the tinkle of the bell on his line to tell her when he was back again. That night her sisters could tell something had changed with Ianthe and pressed her for details, but she skillfully evaded their questions- just as Thor had done with his father and friends on the subject of his fishing trip. 


End file.
